Solar Power World

75-MW Jumper Creek solar site now online in Florida

Kelly Pickerel — Thu, 21 May 2026 19:25:23 +0000

The 74.9-MW Jumper Creek Solar Complex in Sumter County, Florida, is now online in Duke Energy Florida territory. The utility claims the site will produce enough clean energy to save the company’s two million customers an estimated $250 million over its service lifetime. “We know our customers are facing increased costs in nearly every category, so…

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Polar Racking opens O&M division for solar project management

Billy Ludt — Thu, 21 May 2026 13:40:29 +0000

Polar Racking is starting up its Solar Asset Management Division, a dedicated operations and maintenance (O&M) practice for utility-scale and commercial projects. The division provides field-based and remote support across North America and the Caribbean, including projects in the United States, Canada and island markets. As solar portfolios scale, asset owners across the industry face…

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Sunzaun installs 1st vertical solar fence in US urban neighborhood

Billy Ludt — Thu, 21 May 2026 13:00:40 +0000

As urban density increases and commercial real estate becomes more constrained, so too can the space for solar PV in those settings. But by switching solar to a vertical orientation, it can still generate electricity in narrower project footprints. Earlier this year, racking manufacturer Sunzaun completed what it believes to be the first vertical bifacial…

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US energy storage has record breaking Q1 2026

Billy Ludt — Thu, 21 May 2026 04:01:03 +0000

The U.S. energy storage industry installed 9.7 GWh of new capacity in the first quarter of 2026, the strongest first quarter in the sector’s history. According to the “U.S. Energy Storage Market Outlook Q2 2026” (ESMO) released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, energy storage installations in Q1 were…

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Terra-Gen completes 3rd phase of southern California utility solar project

Billy Ludt — Wed, 20 May 2026 18:40:56 +0000

Renewable energy developer Terra-Gen marked commercial operations at its 125-MW Lockhart III solar project in San Bernardino County, California. “The expansion of the Lockhart project underscores Terra-Gen’s commitment to continue developing clean, reliable energy resources critical to meeting the growing demand in California and nationwide,” said John O’Connor, CEO for Terra-Gen. “We are proud to…

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ConnectDER meter collar compatible with EcoFlow home backup storage

Billy Ludt — Wed, 20 May 2026 18:31:55 +0000

ConnectDER, a meter collar manufacturer for rooftop solar, energy storage and EV charging installations, has integrated its IslandDER Meter Socket Adapter with EcoFlow‘s OCEAN Pro home backup battery system. Installs have started in key solar markets with increasing battery attachment rates, including California, Arizona, Illinois, Florida and Texas. With this integration, solar-plus-storage installers can now…

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Trina launches third generation of Elementa BESS, now reaching 6.25 MWh

Kelly Pickerel — Wed, 20 May 2026 17:29:28 +0000

Trina Storage has launched the latest generation of its utility-scale storage product, Elementa 3. Elementa 3 is equipped with Trina Storage’s in-house 587-Ah high-capacity cell, increasing single-container capacity to 6.25 MWh. Through optimized module and enclosure design, the product delivers a 12.3% improvement in module energy density compared with the previous generation. Its compact system…

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5-MW solar project to be built on closed Minnesota landfill

Kelly Pickerel — Wed, 20 May 2026 17:15:09 +0000

Cedar Creek Energy, Connexus Energy and Kearsarge Energy are constructing Minnesota’s first solar project built on a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency-managed closed landfill. “This project represents what’s possible when utilities, developers, regulators and state leaders work together toward long-term energy solutions,” said Alex Gast, chief operating officer of Cedar Creek Energy. “Cedar Creek Energy is…

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Looming safe harbor deadline calls for more engineers, not lawyers

Raafe Khan, Head of Energy Storage and Emerging Markets, Camelot Energy Group — Wed, 20 May 2026 15:52:47 +0000

The legalese of the new rules governing solar drives many developers to hire more lawyers. In practice, they should lean on experienced engineers instead. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), Executive Order 14315 and IRS Notices 2025-42 and 2026-15 collectively ended the 5% safe harbor for utility-scale projects, leaving the physical work test as…

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IREC study grades each state’s interconnection practices

Billy Ludt — Wed, 20 May 2026 14:35:32 +0000

The Interstate Renewable Energy (IREC) council has published its latest “Freeing the Grid” study, which evaluates how well each state interconnects distributed energy resources (DERs), such as solar and energy storage. IREC compiles “Freeing the Grid” in collaboration with Vote Solar. The study only considers statewide interconnection policies. Out of all 50 states, New Mexico…

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OCI, CPS break ground on 480-MWh Alamo City BESS project

Kelly Pickerel — Wed, 20 May 2026 11:52:46 +0000

OCI Energy and CPS Energy have broken ground on the Alamo City BESS in Bexar County, Texas. The 120-MW/480-MWh system is expected to come online in 2027. “This project represents a significant step forward toward realizing a more resilient, reliable energy system that San Antonians can be truly proud of,” said Sabah Bayatli, President, OCI…

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Enbridge developing 365-MW solar + storage project for Meta data centers

Billy Ludt — Tue, 19 May 2026 20:08:11 +0000

Enbridge is developing the Cowboy Project, a 365-MW solar and battery energy storage project in Wyoming to support Meta’s data center operations. The first phase of the Cowboy Project being built near Cheyenne, Wyoming, expands Enbridge’s partnership with Meta, which now totals approximately 1.6 GW of contracted capacity across North America. “The first phase of…

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Florida DOT leases potentially all its stormwater ponds for floating solar development

Kelly Pickerel — Tue, 19 May 2026 15:22:35 +0000

Floating solar contractor D3Energy has signed a master lease with the Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT) to serve as the exclusive developer of floating solar systems on FDOT stormwater ponds. D3Energy’s first project under the framework, a floating solar array on an FDOT pond in Orlando, was fully commissioned earlier this year. “In Florida, the…

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Reading, Pennsylvania solar project will support city operations

Billy Ludt — Tue, 19 May 2026 13:22:37 +0000

Reading, Pennsylvania, started construction on a 4,255-panel solar project being installed across city facilities. The arrays will be built at Reading’s public works campus and Cedar Street parking lot near city hall, and will cover those facilities’ electricity costs once completed. Through Pennsylvania’s Guaranteed Energy Savings Act (GESA), the project is estimated to save the…

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SMA now assembling medium-voltage power stations in Arkansas

Billy Ludt — Tue, 19 May 2026 12:55:49 +0000

Inverter manufacturer SMA is opening a new integration facility in North Little Rock, Arkansas, supporting domestic delivery of its medium-voltage power station (MVPS) solutions. SMA announced in January that it was working with CEP on MVPS integrations. By integrating MVPS solutions in the United States, SMA and longtime business partner CEP hope to reduce project…

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